Reel Reviews

MPAA Rating: R for violent content and language.
Runtime: 93 mins.
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writer: Gus Krieger and Ann Peacock
Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Nick Cannon, Clea DuVall, Timothy Hutton, Shea Whigham, Peter Stormare. ... complete cast
Tagline: The Killing Room.
Genre: Drama | Thriller
Memorable Quote: "These tapes do not exist, this room does not exist." ... more quotes
Release Date: January 16, 2009 (Sundance Film Festival)
DVD Release Date: October 13, 2009
Distributor: No U.S. Distributor

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Given his recent history in cinema, it is safe to assume director Jonathan Liebesman has a unique panache for the macabre. While his recent attempt to re-boot the Texas chainsaw saga with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning resulted in an immediate love or hate response for the audience, his latest offering here will likewise have the same result. I for one find myself stuck in the middle with no inclination towards accepting or rejecting what could have been his best film to date. What works for him is an interesting and intellectual plot that will initially grab your attention, loose it and then grab it again. Ironically, what works against him is the same plot with some unmistakable holes in the form of unanswerable questions viewers will have by the end of the film. As we are given to believe very early in the film, â"Project MK Ultra" or forced mind control exercises was covertly practiced by underground US government agencies during the cold war period. These â"Classified-Top Secret" programs were conducted in a desperate retaliation to counter whatever monstrosities were created behind the Soviet Iron Curtain as well as Hitler's own â"Uber Soldiers". Test subjects typically endured grueling physical and mental torture and once successful could be theoretically capable of executing just about any covert mission, with the added bonus of no recollection of their deeds if they came back alive. The problem here is that all this mumbo-jumbo was rumored to have occurred before the days of United Nations and Human Rights intervention. If that is the case, why make a film suggesting these inhuman programs are still experimented during this day and age? Having said that, anything is possible and if it is, Liebesman has just served some really indigestible yet unbelievable food for thought. And given the content and context suggested here, one thing is certain: Conspiracy theorists will lap this up like a starved orphan, and like poor Oliver, will even ask for more.

The entire film is mostly shot in one room and as the title suggests, this is no ordinary room. Answering an advertisement requiring subjects for psychometric evaluation, four individuals are shown into a large lackluster room with nothing but bolted down aluminum chairs and a table. Each candidate is issued questionnaires with what seem like random IQ related questions and promised a remuneration of 250 Dollars on completion of the exercise through multiple yet escalating levels of evaluation. But even before they can begin the test, one individual is instantly killed for no rhyme or reason. As the remaining three candidates struggle to comprehend what the hell just happened, the whole episode is witnessed by project head Dr. Phillips (Peter Stormare) and his new recruit Ms. Reilly (Chloë Sevigny) from the safety of the adjacent observation room. While the room in question is breaking out into utter pandemonium, Dr. Phillips explains to Reilly that the events unfolding are thoroughly planned and on a pre-determined course, where she is expected to provide her analysis of the situation through impeccable observation and insight into who will be left alive and why.

Liebesman's trump card is saved for the last and like a last ditch attempt keeps the film from sinking, because when the motive behind the experiment is revealed, the mind-numbing sensation you get will feel like a blind sided sucker punch. Call it a plot twist if you will, but the idea behind it is unlike anything heard of in films relying on that ever present yet obscure message to deliver the intended impact. After the sudden momentum the film picks up not ten minutes into run time, I was expecting another torture-porn flick in the likes of Saw or The Cube, but again, Liebesman stays on course and somehow manages a plausible plot irrespective of its deficiencies. Although reminiscent of Saw, characters in the room are equipped with nothing but their wits for survival, and even as Liebesman eliminates them one by one, he does it without excessive blood and gore. Additionally, he also has going for him some intense acting thanks to Nick Cannon, Timothy Hutton, Clea DuVall and Shea Wigham as the doomed experimental subjects.

Chloë Sevigny also gets a nod for her character doing all she must to advance in a career as an emotionless government spook.

Having broken down this film into its equally proportionate pros and cons, my final say lies in the fact that this is a thought provoking film that will be more appreciated by the intellectually minded, or people who like to call themselves so. On the other hand, torture-porn fans may be in for a disappointment due to the lack of gore and guts associated with this genre. Appropriately enough, this ever increasing appetite remains unfed here. Moreover, lack of visual effects from a low budget relying heavily on acting and dialogue may not sit well with the casual viewer expecting entertainment from on-screen carnage.

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